Is MA Using Beauty Commerce to Unlock Its Next SME Growth Wave?

Mastercard Incorporated MA is diving deeper into sector-specific commerce innovation, and its latest collaboration with L’Oréal could signal a significant change in how beauty products are financed and sold. The companies have unveiled a joint initiative focused on empowering entrepreneurs and modernizing beauty commerce with the introduction of the new L’Oréal Mastercard BusinessCard. The rollout begins in Mexico, powered by Clara.

This initiative is tapping into a huge, overlooked market of around 350,000 salons throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, where cash dominance still limits credit access and business growth. This move goes beyond just being a co-branded card; it is a strategic move that recognizes the rising power of beauty creators, small salon owners and independent stylists who increasingly drive product discovery and revenues in the global beauty economy. The card is designed to ease credit challenges, promote financial inclusion and simplify purchasing for these entrepreneurs.

Beyond rewards like product discounts, welcome bonuses and exclusive access to L’Oréal Academy workshops, the real game-changer is data. By digitizing B2B payments, MA can enhance credit decision-making and expand its presence in the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector. Also, Clara’s AI-driven tools position Mastercard as a true operational partner, rather than just a payments processor.

This partnership reflects MA’s broader strategy of forming industry-specific partnerships to enhance financial inclusion and explore new payment opportunities. If the model proves successful in the beauty industry, the company could extend its approach to other cash-rich sectors — strengthening its SME value proposition and reinforcing its long-term growth narrative.

How Are Competitors Faring?

Some of MA’s competitors in the fintech space include Visa Inc. V and American Express Company AXP.

Visa is enhancing its SME strategy by investing in digital onboarding and real-time payment solutions, and forming partnerships that simplify everyday operations for small businesses. In fiscal 2025, Visa witnessed 11% year-over-year growth in net revenues, along with an 8% rise in payments volume.

American Express continues to lean on its robust business-card portfolio and value-added services to serve SMEs. AXP’s focus remains on offering credit flexibility, rewards and expense-management solutions tailored to growing enterprises.

Mastercard’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

In the year-to-date period, MA’s shares have gained 2.1% against the industry’s fall of 13.2%.

From a valuation standpoint, MA trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 28.64, above the industry average of 19.95. MA carries a Value Score of D.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Mastercard’s 2025 earnings implies 12.6% growth from the year-ago period.

Mastercard currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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